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YouTuber produces romantic comedy that draws on Javanese roots
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A still from 'Yowis Ben' shows two characters speaking in Javanese, with Indonesian subtitles. (Starvision Plus/File)
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alang-based YouTuber and comic Bayu Eko Moektito, aka Bayu Skak, has co-directed and written Yowis Ben, a romantic comedy that aims to promote the Javanese language and culture.
"This is a new experience for me," Bayu told The Jakarta Post on Sunday at a promotional event for his film in his East Java hometown.
He said that 90 percent of the film's dialog was delivered in the Javanese language. "This is part of an effort to introduce and preserve [the Javanese] culture," he added.
The romantic comedy, which Bayu directed with Fajar Nugros, was filmed in various popular locations in Malang, such as Jl. Ijen, Warna Warni Jodipan kampung and Museum Angkut (Transportation Museum) in the tourism city of Batu.
Working with actors and actresses who were mostly unfamiliar with Javanese and dealing with haters who considered the dialog kampungan (countrified), too regional and difficult for many viewers to relate to, were among the challenges the production team faced. However, Bayu did not take his role lightly.
The movie's title actually comes from the school band featured in it, named Yo Wis. "Yowis Ben actually means 'ya, sudahlah' [get over it], as an attitude for moving on," he said.
Read also: 10 highest-paid YouTubers of 2017
Aside from being entertaining, the film also offers a moral message on building relationship with friends, parents and significant others, as well as discourages students from skipping school.
Bayu said the Javanese language spoken in the movie was also a common dialect, so would be accessible to viewers from Central and East Java. "You don't need to worry that you won't understand the film, since there is an interactive subtitle. We usually don't have a problem watching English-language films with subtitles, right?" he said.
Also involving senior East Java artists like Kartolo and Sapari, Yowis Ben will premiere on Feb. 22 in cinemas across the country.
Bayu expressed hope that more movies will emerge to promote other indigenous cultures like those in Aceh, Makassar and other regions.
"We need to preserve the roots of our culture, because it's our diversity that built this nation," he said. (kes)
